It is a bitter irony that as developing countries
continue their efforts to reduce hunger, some are also
facing the opposing problem of obesity. Obesity carries a
higher incidence of chronic illness including diabetes,
heart disease and cancer. And while some of the poor are
becoming plumper, they are not necessarily better fed.
Obesity often masks underlying deficiencies in vitamins and
minerals.

"We believe obesity is a significant problem that needs
to be dealt with, along with the problem of the underfed,"
says Prakash Shetty, Chief of FAO's Nutrition Planning,
Assessment and Evaluation service.

Just a few years ago, such a statement was rare. Experts
hesitated to draw attention to obesity when so many lives
were crippled by hunger -- and out of a total of 815 million
hungry people around the world almost 780 million are in
developing countries. But startling data released last year
by the Worldwatch Institute challenged conventional wisdom:
For the first time, the number of overweight individuals
worldwide rivals those who are underweight. And sadly,
developing nations have joined the ranks of countries
encumbered by obesity.

A 1999 United Nations study found obesity in all developing
regions, and growing rapidly, even in countries where hunger
exists. In China, the number of overweight people jumped
from less than 10 percent to 15 percent in just three years.
In Brazil and Colombia, the figure hovers around 40 percent
-- a level comparable to a number of European countries.
Even sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the world's hungry
live, is seeing an increase in obesity, especially among
urban women. In all regions, obesity seems to grow as income
increases.

Three problems, one
solution: good nutritionThe existence of obesity in the developing world is not
a surprise to FAO. "We already knew that the world produced
enough food to feed everyone," remarks Barbara Burlingame,
Senior Officer in FAO's Nutrition Impact Assessment and
Evaluation Group. "Unfortunately, food doesn't always get to
the people who need it most." Hunger is one result. Obesity
is another.

In addition, practically all of the hungry and many of
the overweight are weakened by a third type of malnutrition:
A lack of vitamins and minerals referred to as micronutrient
deficiency.

"The thinking used to be that if people get enough energy
in their diets, the micronutrients will take care of
themselves," says Dr Burlingame. "But increasingly people
are eating larger quantities of cheap food that fill the
stomach but still leave the body without those
micronutrients."

A couple sits down to a meal in
China. Traditional diets offer better nutrition
than most imported foods.
(FAO/8513/F. Mattioli)

Though data on obesity in the developing world are limited,
preliminary studies indicate that some of the same nutrient
deficiencies in the underfed also afflict the overfed. Two
of the most common are iron deficiency anaemia and vitamin A
deficiency, which continues to cause widespread blindness in
children under five years old.

FAO maintains that a sound approach to nutrition must
focus on quality as well as quantity. "One of our most
important roles is to promote a diverse diet including
traditional foods, which are generally balanced and high in
nutrition, " says Dr Shetty. To read about the reasons
behind obesity in the developing world, click
here.